Video & Transcript Research : 'interest calculation'
Page 65 of 500
NH
New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session
House Municipal and County Government (03/10/2025)
Municipal and County Government
Transcript Highlights:
- When that happens, your interest rate has changed.
- <01:08:44.759>
rates in valuations changes in interest rates in valuations changes in interest - the influ influence of special interest the influ influence of special interest groups<01:58:35.440
- <05:20:26.440>
in would be are you interested in would be are you interested in withdrawing - that made the motion is not interested that made the motion is not interested in<05:20:38.160>
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection - 03/13/25
Commerce and Consumer Protection
Transcript Highlights:
- worked with her and other interested worked with her and other interested parties<00:19:09.000><
- That is the primary interest, as I understand it. Maybe I'd defer to Mr.
- That is the primary interest, as I understand it. Maybe I'd defer to Mr.
- So, okay, just think it would be of interest. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
- <00:37:18.920>
would you're having a greater interest would you're having a greater interest
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Committee on Energy, Utilities, Environment and Climate - 03/10/25
Energy, Utilities, Environment, and Climate
Transcript Highlights:
- Chair: It is very much the interest of this committee to develop renewable energy, including the jobs
- <00:43:25.280>
of Blake um it is very much the interest of Blake um it is very much the interest - First is that there's no transparency or consistency on the calculation of these solar fees.
- So I'd be really interested in understanding the real numbers there: what are people really paying?
- So I'd be really interested in understanding the real numbers there: what are people really paying?
FL
Florida 2026 5th Special Session
FL House Floor Session - 2025-04-23 (10:00AM Session)
Florida House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- This modifies the interest rate or dividend a financial institution must pay on funds in an interest
- on trust account to the highest interest rate or dividend instead of at least the highest interest rate
- And you're right, it was very low during different times, especially as interest rates were low.
- Like I said, these are client funds that are generating interest and they are funding legal aid.
- I would gather that most of you probably get zero interest on your checking accounts.
Summary:
The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several introductions and moments of silence, including tributes related to the FSU campus shooting, Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, John Thrasher, the Florida Wildlife Corridor, and visiting student and community groups. The chamber then moved into special order bills and adopted a resolution honoring Coach Abdur-Rahim. A number of measures were taken up and passed, including child care and early learning provider regulation updates, false reporting/swatting penalties, health care billing and collection protections, hazardous walking conditions for schoolchildren, young adult housing support for foster and homeless students, the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program, trust fund interest rules for IOTA accounts, transportation-related changes, public records exemptions for AHCA investigators, JQC employees, and appellate court clerks, municipal water and sewer utility rates in Miami-Dade, motor vehicle offenses involving obscured plates and impersonating law enforcement, trespass at large-scale ticketed events, refund of patient overpayments, stem cell therapy standards, insulin administration by direct support professionals and relatives, pre-arranged transportation services, and the Uniform Commercial Code update for digital assets.
Several bills were amended before passage, often by substituting House companions and adopting late-filed amendments. The transportation bill was significantly revised to remove speed-limit increases and utility-related provisions while adding beach equipment removal, flood-wake enforcement, expectant mother parking permits, and local regulation of micromobility devices; it passed 37-0. The trust fund interest bill drew the most debate, with supporters arguing it right-sized a volatile funding stream for legal aid and opponents warning it would sharply reduce support for legal aid organizations; it passed 28-10. The municipal water and sewer rate bill also prompted extended debate over fairness, fiscal impact, and accusations of racism, but passed 36-2. Public records exemption bills for AHCA investigators, JQC employees, and appellate clerks passed with varying margins, with supporters emphasizing safety and anti-doxing protections. One bill on cardiac emergencies and another on education were temporarily postponed.
Most measures were adopted by wide margins, often unanimously, after brief sponsor explanations and little or no debate. The Senate also adopted a resolution honoring the late USF coach Amir Abdur-Rahim and recognized several visiting groups in the gallery. After completing the day’s special order calendar, the Senate recessed for lunch until 1:30 p.m. or on call of the President.
AZ
Arizona 2026 Regular Session
03/24/2026 - House Republican Caucus Calendar #13
Transcript Highlights:
- It was actually quite interesting, but Arizona has become one of the major space hubs in the country
- bill further amends the date basis by which the number of required nomination petition signers is calculated
- Office of the Courts to exclude probationers convicted of dangerous crimes against children when calculating
- office of the courts to exclude probationers convicted of dangerous crimes against children when calculating
Summary:
The caucus reviewed a long list of Senate bills and memorials across several policy areas, with most items presented as consent or third-read measures and little debate. Topics included special license plates for the Arizona Space Commission, local land-use and housing restrictions, liquor regulation updates, limits on municipal delays in permitting and exactions, election equipment security and timekeeping requirements, precinct committeeman vacancy procedures, assisted living and deed-fraud measures, a Freedom of Speech Monument committee, renaming Wesley Bolin Plaza, and a ban on gender transition procedures for minors. Members also discussed health and human services bills on behavioral health technician standards, Medicaid billing during ownership changes, breast cancer screening cost-sharing, naturopathic IV administration authority, safe-haven newborn surrender at hospitals, and access claim-processing timelines.
The Judiciary portion covered probation limits for dangerous crimes against children, a civil cause of action related to prohibited gender reassignment surgery on minors, elimination of the statute of limitations for failure to register as a sex offender, probation incentive calculations, victim-rights expense recovery, unlawful flight penalties, vulnerable adult theft definitions, motor fuel theft, unlawful alerting, and evidence rules in sexual-assault-related hearings. In discussion, members asked for clarifications on several bills, including the definitions of “malicious” delay, internet access on election equipment, the scope of the breast screening bill, and the meaning of unlawful alerting. Supporters repeatedly described bills as common-sense, fraud-prevention, patient-access, or public-safety measures, while one member noted a no vote on extending the Vulnerable Adult System Study Committee.
Additional measures in land, agriculture, water, public safety, and transportation included foreign-entity restrictions on land transactions, limits on transporting Mexican gray wolf puppies, water reuse and groundwater fee extensions, a larger water supply revolving fund loan cap, congressional memorials on EPA authority and the San Carlos irrigation project, expanded traumatic event counseling coverage, reimbursement of legal costs for certain disciplined law enforcement officers, data sharing with the federal government on unauthorized aliens, roadable aircraft registration, motor vehicle booting rules, military-property sign placement, a towing and impound study committee, photo enforcement penalties, and highway renaming memorials. No roll-call votes were described in the transcript, and the meeting ended after the transportation items and memorials were completed.
HI
Hawaii 2026 Regular Session
House Chamber - Tue Apr 7, 2026, 12:00PM HST - Day 40
Hawaii House Floor Meeting
Bills:
HR39, HCR43, HR178, HCR188, SB3144, SB3102, SB2053, SB3248, SB2256, SB3118, SB2245, SB2519, SB3055, SB2090, SB2765, SB2169, SB3136, SB2521, SB2851, SB3154, SB3262, SB2387, SB3001, SB2818, SB2972, SB2372, SB2108, SB888, HR63, HCR69
Keywords:
pedestrian safety, crosswalks, traffic calming, school zone, Honolulu, community safety, raised crosswalks, traffic infrastructure, agritourism, agricultural tourism, Hawaii Tourism Authority, HTA, working group, farm tourism, regenerative tourism, working lands, agricultural land use, county ordinances, permitting, farm bureau
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- Just to assure my colleagues in the truth in taxation calculation, jails, and Senator Hinojosa, jails
- Well, that's interesting when you take away the AG's power to prosecute.
- Their advocacy does not come from backdoor, backroom deals or special interests.
Bills:
SB 10, SB 8, SB 15, SB 12, SB 6, SB 13, SB 9, SB 7, SB 17, SB 4, SB10, SB8, SB15, SB12, SB6, SB13, SB9, SB7, SB17, SB4
Keywords:
sex designation, restroom access, civil penalties, private civil right of action, women's privacy, law enforcement, department file, employee records, misconduct, confidentiality, Texas occupations code, election laws, attorney general, prosecution, criminal offenses, criminal prosecution, jurisdiction, hemp, consumable hemp, hemp-derived cannabinoids
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- All right, interesting. Thank you. And it doesn't run out of money, how?
- They have no interest in keeping their citizens safe.
Bills:
SB 250, SB 375, SB 536, SB 845, SB 1633, SB 1944, SB 1957, SB 2081, SB 2137, SB 2262, SB 2299, SB 2419, SB 2452, SB 2522, SB 2549, SB 2594, SB 2605, SB 2631, SB 2639, SB 2675, SB 3029, SJR 60, HB 22, HB 1392, HB 2525
Keywords:
municipal annexation, railroad, adjacent areas, local government, property rights, healthcare provider, Harris County Hospital District, hospital funding, healthcare services, public health program, home loans, nurses, veterans, public servants, Texas Heroes program, low-interest loans, social workers, housing assistance, SB 1633, Texas Tax Code
NM
New Mexico 2025 Regular Session
IC - Public School Capital Outlay Council May 14th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- We're we're going to design to the 67,000 square feet, I think, um, and that the new calculator would
- I mean, that, that kind of um an interesting because it's usually the other way we're usually.
- That is a limit, the calculator and now we're, we're well below that. Mr.
- specialized services, you know, as needed and those kind of things, but the school doesn't have any interest
AZ
Arizona 2026 Regular Session
06/11/2026 - Senate Director Nominations
Transcript Highlights:
- And I'm also interested in licensing reforms.
- So that level of conflict of interest is... ...that level of conflict of interest isn't there.
- Chairman, it's a financial calculation that's in the Arizona Revised Statutes.
- I don't understand the calculation you're using. I'm unfamiliar with it.
- Section 38-503, the state conflict of interest law.
Summary:
The Committee on Director Nominations met with four members present and approved the prior minutes without objection. Chair Jay Kaufman outlined the committee’s role in reviewing executive nominations and explained the hearing process for three nominees: Mary Foote for the Office of Economic Opportunity, Debbie Johnston for the Department of Health Services, and Chuck Bassett. Foote did not appear for her hearing, and members discussed her absence and alleged omissions in her disclosure materials, including prior service with Planned Parenthood-related organizations. The committee then moved to reject her nomination, and the motion passed 3-2, recommending that the full Senate reject Mary Foote.
Debbie Johnston, nominee to lead the Department of Health Services, appeared and gave an opening statement describing her Arizona background, prior Senate staff work, and more than 20 years with the Arizona Hospital and Health Care Association. She said her priorities at ADHS include rebuilding trust in public health licensing, improving stakeholder engagement, standardizing rulemaking communication, addressing alleged religious discrimination and retaliation concerns in licensing, and using technology and AI to improve efficiency. In questioning, senators pressed her on her management style, conflict-of-interest safeguards given her prior industry role, enforcement priorities, budget pressures, behavioral health and assisted living oversight, and the department’s response to COVID-19. Johnston said she would follow statutes, recuse herself from enforcement matters involving former contacts, and resign if directed to carry out an unlawful policy. She also said the department does not regulate therapy itself, only facilities, and that it would rely on legal counsel regarding the governor’s conversion-therapy executive order and related federal civil-rights allegations.
Several senators focused on public health trust and the department’s pandemic response, with Johnston acknowledging concerns about closures, data collection, and communication during COVID-19 while saying she would review past after-action materials and be better prepared in the future. Public testimony from stakeholders in aging services and health care strongly supported her confirmation, praising her accessibility, responsiveness, and collaborative approach. After testimony, the vice chair moved to recommend Johnston’s confirmation to the full Senate. The roll call was underway when the transcript ended, with several members voting aye and one member expressing reservations about her not reviewing the pandemic after-action report before another crisis occurs.
MN
Transcript Highlights:
- By my calculation, since April of 2024, more than $33 million has been allocated to the READ Act, with
- <00:00:55.239>
since me on this but by my calculation since me on this but by my calculation - was based on MCA third grade calculation was based on MCA third grade data<00:27:18.960>
the < - 00:27:19.440>
proposed <00:27:20.880>calculation <00:27:21.880>um <00:27:22.559>< - c> revises data the proposed calculation um revises data the proposed calculation um revises the<
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- And then I think one of the most interesting parts about this bill is that ERCOT would be a required
- That's a very interesting question, and it's a hypothetical that frankly I haven't given much thought
- And when that calculation is done on a retrospective basis, if those large loads are included in the
- calculation, when it finally comes time—and of course, we hope that day doesn't come—but should it come
- Our member companies have seen firsthand this tremendous interest from large load customers wanting to
Keywords:
electric power, interconnection, utilities, ERCOT, large load customers, water supply, sewer service, demand management, school prayer, Bible reading, religious text, public schools, Texas Education Code, student prayer, silent prayer, meditation, religious liberty, First Amendment, Establishment Clause, church and state
ND
North Dakota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Advanced Nuclear Energy Committee Mar 24th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- interested in replacing jobs of people with AI.
- So it was an interesting experience.
- And so it's just earning interest right now.
- interest.
- Oh, that's an interesting question, actually.
Summary:
The Advanced Nuclear Energy Committee met to hear a series of presentations on the economics, financing, workforce, and community impacts of advanced nuclear deployment in North Dakota. William Bridge of Nucleon Energy presented the committee’s economic impacts and private-sector financing report, estimating construction and operating job impacts, local spending, and state/local tax effects for hypothetical SMR projects. He said the report assumes first-of-a-kind costs are still high, used a $6 million per megawatt nth-of-a-kind proxy, and estimated peak construction workforces of about 500 for a 200-MW plant and 1,000 for a larger facility, with roughly 100 operating jobs for a 200-MW plant. Committee members questioned security costs, capital cost assumptions, water and transmission siting constraints, and whether the model included fuel and waste; Bridge said the report included initial fuel in capital cost and that waste disposal is funded through existing federal mechanisms.
Lori Brady of the Nuclear Energy Institute then outlined national nuclear workforce needs and NEI’s strategic workforce planning efforts. She described declining labor-force participation, retirements, and the need for a much larger future workforce, and said NEI has organized recommendations around career awareness, pipelines, training and qualification, policy support, retention, and nontraditional recruitment. She highlighted tools such as the Nuclear Works career website, the Nuclear Energy Academic Roadmap, the new federal Energy and Natural Resources career cluster, and the Nuclear Uniform Curriculum Program for community colleges. Members asked about AI, timing for training relative to plant development, and whether advanced manufacturing would reduce staffing needs; Brady said AI is not expected to replace workers and that training timelines depend on the specific project and staffing plan.
The committee also heard from Gary Yaco, mayor of Red Wing, Minnesota, who described Prairie Island’s role in his community. He said the plant provides a large share of local property tax revenue, supports well-paid jobs, contributes to emergency preparedness funding and training, and is broadly supported by the city despite periodic protests and public concerns. He emphasized the plant’s security, regular drills with local and federal responders, and the absence of problems with dry cask storage. Later, Benton Arnett of NEI discussed the current financing landscape for advanced nuclear, explaining how tax credits, federal loan support, off-take agreements, and new business models are helping projects move forward. He said early projects face high upfront costs and long lead-time procurement, but that investor confidence is improving as federal policy and regulatory streamlining continue. The committee asked about waste funding, comparisons with natural gas, the effect of political shifts on investor confidence, and whether the market will narrow to a few winning technologies; Arnett said the industry is still sorting that out, but expects clearer winners in the late 2020s and early 2030s. The meeting concluded with an introductory presentation from Julie Kazeraki of DOE’s Office of Energy Dominance Financing, who said the office is focused on accelerating nuclear deployment through financing support.
WA
Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Environment & Energy May 18th, 2026 at 01:30 pm
Environment & Energy
Transcript Highlights:
- And we are very much interested in helping to develop this technology in the state.
- In the interest of efficiency, I'm going to cover four topics.
- The pathway for entities interested in pursuing those...
- So if we are interested in it, we should look into setting up some kind of trust fund like that.
- an enormous impact on net GHG emissions calculations.
Summary:
The committee’s interim work session focused first on carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS), with presenters from industry, nonprofits, and state agencies describing Washington’s geologic potential, the role of basalt formations, and the difference between point-source capture, direct air capture, utilization, and permanent storage. Industry and project developers emphasized that Washington has major opportunities to reduce industrial emissions, create jobs, and support hard-to-electrify sectors, while state agencies explained current policy touchpoints in the Cap and Invest Program, emissions exemptions for permanently stored CO2, and the Clean Energy Transformation Act. Several presenters urged clearer statutory and regulatory pathways, including rules for pore space, subsurface rights, pipeline siting, and long-term liability; others cautioned that CCUS should be limited to real emissions reductions and not treated as a substitute for broader clean energy measures.
Committee members asked about public comment opportunities, whether mineralized carbon would qualify for exemption under the Climate Commitment Act, the energy intensity of capture systems, aquifer protection, and liability if storage later proves problematic. Ecology said it is developing guidance through a public engagement process running through late June and that mineralized or otherwise permanently stored CO2 would likely qualify if it meets the 1,000-year permanence standard. DNR and outside experts also discussed trust lands, water rights, and the need for additional geophysical surveys and test wells. The panel did not take any votes or formal actions.
The second half of the meeting turned to hazardous waste and extended producer responsibility. Ecology reviewed existing product stewardship programs for electronics, paint, batteries, and mercury lights, and described how moderate risk waste and household hazardous waste are currently collected through county facilities and events. Ecology said the electronics program is its best model, while the mercury lamp program is currently in transition after the prior stewardship organization exited and a new organization is seeking approval. Ecology recommended that future EPR programs have clear producer and product definitions, full producer funding, convenience standards, annual reporting, and strong enforcement authority.
Local government witnesses from King County and Douglas County described rising costs, access barriers in rural areas, and the need for stable funding and flexible local delivery models. King County said it collected over 3 million pounds of hazardous products in 2025 and argued that EPR could reduce costs for ratepayers and improve equity. Douglas County stressed that rural residents are willing to participate when services are available, but travel distance and operating costs make access difficult. An industry representative supported narrowly scoped stewardship programs like PaintCare but warned that broad household hazardous waste EPR systems can become difficult to administer and may require legislative revisions if responsibilities are not clearly defined. No votes were taken on the hazardous waste topic either.
NM
Transcript Highlights:
- And so it's interesting to me always to see who's for and who's against.
- It would be interesting, and I don't have the data for you, to figure out how many people get a concealed
- Oh, interesting buildup to present. I just think that there should be uniformity across the board.
- Senator, obviously you're chairing it as we move forward, but it would be interesting for those of us
- It would not change anything other than how it is calculated.
MN
Transcript Highlights:
- just part of interest and dividends. just part of interest and dividends.
- modest, pretty carefully calculated modest, pretty carefully calculated amount amount amount that
- Interest rates are the interest income that's received by the fund is a function of the prevailing interest
- > and<00:57:49.040>
dividends The amount of interest and dividends The amount of interest - Interest<00:58:15.720>
rates <00:58:16.440>are Interest rates are Interest rates are the
KY
Kentucky 2025 Regular Session
Kentucky Housing Task Force 2025 (7-28-25)
Transcript Highlights:
- c><00:15:10.560>
loans understanding those low interest loans understanding those low interest - rates, high interest rates and buyers' expectations that interest rates will decline if they wait.
- rates, high interest rates and buyers' expectations that interest rates will decline if they wait.
- rates, high interest rates and buyers' expectations that interest rates will decline if they wait.
- rates, high interest rates and buyers' expectations that interest rates will decline if they wait.
Keywords:
Meeting Start 00:00:07
Roll Call 00:00:14
Discussion of Pro-Growth Housing Policies 00:02:01
Discussion of Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit 01:11:13
Adjournment 01:40:27, 958, all
Summary:
The Kentucky Housing Task Force met and heard first from the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, which presented findings from a housing study done with the Home Builders Association. The chamber said housing is now a major economic-development issue, citing survey results that 90% of community leaders said their region could not absorb a major job announcement and 66% said housing is holding back Kentucky’s economy. The chamber described Kentucky’s housing shortage, rising home prices, declining permits since 2008, and the need for more production to support growth. It urged policy changes including zoning and land-use reform, tax incentives, regional approaches, and especially a residential infrastructure fund modeled on Indiana’s low-interest loan program to help communities finance roads and other infrastructure needed for new housing. Members asked about the severity of the problem, workforce shortages in permitting and construction, the loan interest rate, repayment, and whether Kentucky could replicate Indiana’s results; the witness said the issue is a crisis and that the program would be a revolving public-private partnership, likely around 3% interest, with implementation details still to be worked out.
The Kentucky Bankers Association then testified that the housing gap is especially acute for households at 80% of area median income and below, which it said represents about 70% of Kentucky’s housing need. It emphasized that the shortage affects both urban and rural counties and pointed to examples such as Rowan County, where workers at major employers must commute long distances because local housing is unavailable or unaffordable. The bankers said high interest rates remain a major barrier and proposed a $20 million bank commitment for a revolving fund tied to tax credits to finance new housing, not refinances. They cited Hope of the Midwest as an example of a successful tax-credit housing model with a long track record and no defaults, and said the proposal would leverage public-private partnerships to create new units.
Committee members questioned how the proposed fund would compare with industrial revenue bonds and whether it could be structured like Kentucky’s tobacco settlement fund, with seed money, a review board, scoring criteria, and possible population thresholds to ensure smaller communities benefit. The bankers said the proposal would be another tool for cities and counties, specifically tied to residential infrastructure, and that larger cities should not be able to capture all of the resources. No formal votes or actions were taken during this portion of the meeting.
NH
New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
House Municipal and County Government (01/20/2026)
Municipal and County Government
Transcript Highlights:
- :44:28.800>
other differs from the interest of any other differs from the interest of any other - <01:46:18.719>
is And a provable conflict of interest is And a provable conflict of interest - There is overt bias, rampant interest.
- based on self-interest within the board. based on self-interest within the board.
- submit a letter of interest submit a letter of interest to<02:47:09.439>
the <02:47:09.760
WA
Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Agriculture & Natural Resources Dec 5th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- And so the punchline is that when the census food security data goes away, the calculations behind a
- And so the punchline is that when the census their calculations based on other county level data.
- And so the punchline is that when the census food security data goes away, the calculations behind a
- I mean, if they've just recently purchased with, you know, 7% or 8% interest rates..." "Right.
- And interest rates were half what they are. Absolutely.
Summary:
The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee held a work session on food systems and food security, with no public testimony. The first panel focused on household food security and data. Marie Spiker of the University of Washington explained what food insecurity means, its health impacts, and the importance of reliable measurement, warning that the federal Census food security data is being terminated and that there is no true replacement. She described Washington’s WaFOOD surveys as a useful complement, not a substitute, and noted that they show food insecurity affects households at a range of income levels. Katie Raines of WSDA described the state’s food systems work, the need for shared data and dashboards, and the role of agriculture in both food production and the hunger safety net. Committee members asked about the $2.2 million state food assistance allocation, the scale of the SNAP gap, and how household size, housing costs, and other factors intersect with food insecurity.
The committee then heard from Tracy Roof of the University of Richmond on the history of SNAP and its relationship to agriculture. She traced the program from Depression-era commodity distribution through the modern farm bill, emphasizing that food assistance has long functioned both as anti-hunger policy and as an agricultural and economic stabilizer. She highlighted how SNAP expands during recessions, supports retailers and farmers, and has become more important since the Great Recession because participation stayed high even as the economy recovered. Roof also noted that Washington has relatively high SNAP participation and low payment error rates, but that recent federal changes could reduce eligibility and shift more costs to states. Members asked how Washington compares to other states and why the program is structured as it is.
A later panel featured the Washington State Food Policy Forum and a joint systems presentation from the Washington Farm Bureau, Washington Retail Association, and Washington Food Industry Association. The Food Policy Forum described its consensus-based recommendations on food insecurity, climate and water, regional food infrastructure, farmland protection, and farm viability, including more support for producer purchasing, water planning, and farmland conservation. The industry groups presented a systems map showing how agriculture, processing, retail, and transportation are interconnected, and argued that rising costs, regulations, labor and fuel expenses, retail theft, and thin margins make it harder to keep farms and stores viable. They said food security depends on store viability and local agricultural profitability, and promised to provide a more detailed list of policy recommendations.
The final panel included state agency staff from DSHS, DOH, and WSDA. Bryce Montgomery said the Basic Food program serves about 920,000 Washingtonians monthly and warned that H.R. 1 could require Washington to pay up to 15% of SNAP benefits, broaden work requirements, and restrict immigrant eligibility. Karen Mullen described DOH nutrition programs, including WIC, farmers market nutrition benefits, fruit and vegetable incentives, and a fruit-and-vegetable prescription program, while noting funding instability and the end of SNAP-Ed. WSDA’s Katie Raines began describing ongoing food assistance and farmer support challenges, including farmer mental health and the need to address food insecurity across both producers and consumers.
FL
Florida 2025 Regular Session
February 5, 2025 - 12:30 PM
Transcript Highlights:
- In addition to us doing that, we also create other cost calculators, our OCAs, to be able to identify
- I know you're particularly interested in my district, and thank you for all the work that you've done
- It is comprised of all of the state agencies that have an interest in behavioral health.
- Rate differentials calculated for the different regions of our state.
- How are we calculated here versus other parts of the state? Sure.
Summary:
The Health Care Budget Subcommittee held a panel discussion on Florida’s mental health and substance abuse system, with representatives from DCF, AHCA, two managing entities, and two providers describing how the state’s behavioral health network is funded and operated. Members focused on the implementation of prior legislative investments, especially the $50 million in recurring funding from Representative Maney’s bill and the earlier $126 million community behavioral health appropriation. Witnesses said the newer funds were used mainly for crisis beds, discharge planning, outpatient services, regional collaboratives, and a USF Marchman Act report, while the larger behavioral health appropriation supported CAT, FACT, FIT, forensic teams, residential and outpatient services, and crisis care, with most dollars going directly to services and only a small share to administration.
A major theme was access to crisis care and the role of mobile response teams, 988, and central receiving facilities in diverting people from Baker Act admissions and reducing readmissions. DCF and providers said mobile response teams have expanded, are being used to de-escalate crises and connect people to care, and have shown strong diversion results and reductions in Baker Acts in some regions. Members also asked about waitlists, children in crisis, and how to handle people without housing or support; providers said discharge planning is individualized but often constrained by homelessness, transportation, and a lack of safe placements, and several witnesses identified housing as one of the biggest barriers to recovery and stability.
The committee also examined provider sustainability, reimbursement, and funding gaps. Witnesses described delays caused by contract timing, cost allocation rules, and Medicaid reimbursement rates that do not always keep pace with labor and operating costs, especially for smaller providers and rural networks. DCF and AHCA said managing entities can provide advances, retroactive rate adjustments, and technical assistance, and that Medicaid managed care plans have network standards and complaint/dispute processes. Members raised concerns about a reported $7 million loss in federal non-sustainable funds, provider closures, and whether there is a formal ombudsman process for disputes; DCF said the federal reductions were known and tied to one-time funds, and that the department generally handles provider issues informally while working with managing entities to preserve continuity of care.